The Story Of Shiroino Yuki
by sereneione
Summary: Set towards the end of the Kyoto Arc. Shiroino Yuki... Who is she, and what does she want with Kenshin? This is her story... Chapter 4 up!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Early summer of 1878, the 11th year of the Meiji era…

Himura Kenshin was putting his sakabatou back into its sheath, when the door to the room slid open.

"Kenshin-kun."

Kenshin looked up and smiled at the woman standing at the door. "Yuki-dono."

Curving her lips only slightly in response, said woman spoke in a soft voice. "I knew you would be back on your feet in no time at all, but I certainly didn't expect it to be this soon."

"I'm fine, Yuki-dono," said Kenshin. "Thanks to you, I'm almost fully recovered now."

"Almost. You still have to be careful."

"Yes, I will," Kenshin assured her. "I'm going downstairs to join the others. Are you coming along?"

Yuki nodded and began to head downstairs, followed by Kenshin. At the foot of the stairs, they came face to face with Kamiya Kaoru.

"Kenshin! You're up already! Are you sure it's all right for you to be up?" she asked, concern shown all over her face.

"Yes, it's all right. I'm ok now," Kenshin replied smilingly.

"Yuki-san, are you sure it's all right for him to be up now?" Kaoru asked Yuki.

"He'll be fine," came the reply.

"Besides, with all this noise downstairs, I couldn't sleep anyway," added Kenshin, referring to the 'party' going at full-blast in the room.

Kaoru sighed. "You can say that again. They've been celebrating for 31 days straight. Poor Omasu-san had to apologise to Sae-san everyday for all the trouble they've caused here at the Shirobeko."

Just then, the crowd caught sight of Kenshin and immediately rushed up to him.

"Himura!"

"You're finally up!"

"Come on! Give us a tune!"

"Yeah, sing us a song!"

Before Kenshin could react, another voice rang out in the room, louder than the rest combined.

"WHERE IS AOSHI-SAMA!" Makimachi Misao shouted at the top of her lungs.

While the others cringed, Yuki looked indifferent as she said, "I think Aoshi-kun is at the temple."

"Eh? Again? Since he got better, he hasn't gone anywhere else!" Misao complained.

"Misao, he's had a lot to think about since he got back. Leave him alone for a while," said Okina.

"Do I have to?"

"It's for his sake."

Misao pouted, and then quickly brightened up. She bounded over to Yuki. "Ne, Yuki-san, how about we go to the temple and check on Aoshi-sama? I don't think his wounds are fully healed yet. I want to you take another look at him."

"If you want to see him, you don't have to make up excuses, Misao-dono," said Kenshin.

"Kenshin's right. You can just go see him whenever you like," Kaoru agreed.

"But… but if I go alone, it will seem like I'm disturbing him. If I bring Yuki-san along with me, at least I can say that I'm there for a reason…" Misao trailed off, before looking at Yuki with hope shining brightly in her eyes. "Yuki-san, please… help me this once… please…"

She waited for Yuki to give her answer with bated breath. After what seemed like eternity, Yuki finally responded with the tiniest of smiles and said, "I'll get my medicine chest."

She disappeared for a moment, before reappearing with a chest in her hands. Then, after bowing to Kenshin and Kaoru, she walked out of the Shirobeko with Misao.

As soon as they were gone, Kaoru and Kenshin joined the others at the table, where Okina and his Oniwabanshuu comrades (with the exception of one Omasu) were singing to their hearts content. Sagara Sanosuke and Myojin Yahiko were eating and drinking for all its worth, while Takani Megumi sat quietly in a corner, sipping from her cup of tea.

"You know Kenshin, it's been a month since we first met Yuki-san, and I've never seen her smile even once, unless you want to count those tight-lipped, tiny smiles she gives us once in a while," Kaoru commented.

Sanosuke, who was trying to eat with his left hand holding the chopsticks, overheard what she'd said. "At least she looks kind and gentle, which is how she is anyway, unlike Aoshi, who looks exactly like how he really is, that is cold to the core."

"Well, yes, but still…"

"I've never seen her take off her gloves, have you?" asked Yahiko, his mouth stuffed with food.

"No, I haven't. Not even when she goes to bed," said Kaoru, shaking her head. "At first, I thought it was for hygiene purposes, since she's treating Kenshin's wounds and all, but I don't think that's the case."

"No it's not," said Megumi, putting down her cup. "The gloves she wore when treating injuries and wounds were made out of rubber, meant to be thrown away after use, but the ones which she wears at all times are made out of pure cotton and silk."

Yahiko scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm…I wonder why she wouldn't take them off."

"It doesn't matter. Everybody has their own reasons as to why they do certain things," said Kenshin.

Kaoru nodded her head in agreement. "I agree. It doesn't matter that she doesn't smile or talk much. If it wasn't for her, Kenshin may not have recovered so quickly."

-Flashback-

"Kenshin! Kenshin!"

Kaoru's voice was laced with worry and panic, as she called again and again at the man lying on the futon, who was covered with blood from the multiple wounds on his body.

"It's no use, Jo-chan. I've been calling him all the way here. He's passed out for good this time, having lost too much blood. You'd better get a doctor to see him quick," said Sanosuke from behind. His own right hand was so bloodied that the fingers looked like they were going to come off soon.

"Where are Kuro and Shiro? They've been gone for so long!" said Misao impatiently. She looked at Shinomori Aoshi, who was sitting in a corner of the room, his eyes closed. "Aoshi-sama, are you feeling alright?"

"Aa," came the short reply.

Just then, they heard the sound of footsteps coming closer and closer towards the room. The door slid open, and two tall young men walked in.

"Shiro, Kuro, you're back! Where's the doctor?" Misao asked quickly.

Kuro and Shiro moved aside to reveal a woman, who bowed before them.

"Hajimemashite. Watashi wa Shiroino Yuki desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu," she said in a clear, soft voice, before straightening up again.

She looked in her early twenties, and was dressed in a white kimono. Her black hair was tied into a braid which was then put together at the back of her head with a white ribbon. Her ghostly pale complexion only served to make her black eyes look darker than it really was.

"Shiroino-sensei, please take a look at Kenshin. He's badly hurt and has lost a lot of blood," Kaoru pleaded.

Taking a quick glance around the room, the woman stepped inside and knelt down beside Kenshin, putting down the medicine chest she had brought with her. Then, she briskly gave instructions to Kaoru and those who were not injured so that they could help her in her work.

It took her almost a whole day to tend to Kenshin before she could move on to the other injured people, namely Sanosuke and Aoshi. Even after Megumi arrived from Tokyo, she insisted on staying at the Shirobeko to help watch over Kenshin and attend to the others.

-End of flashback-

Megumi flipped her hair to the back. "I must say that her skills and knowledge in medicine are quite good. Not surprising though. From what she once told me, her father was a doctor, and it seems that he had learned both the eastern and western ways of medicine in a foreign country, before coming back here to Japan and opened his own clinic. I guess she learned everything from him."

"I'm not saying that you wouldn't have been able to do the same, Megumi-san," Kaoru said quickly. "It's just that, when Kenshin returned from the fight that day, he was in such a state that, for a moment, I thought he was going to die for sure, and you couldn't be here right away-"

"I know, I know. I understand, you silly girl," Megumi cut her off. "Do I look like the kind of person who would get angry over petty little things like this?"

"Actually, you do," said Sanosuke, and avoided the flying cup just in time as it wheezed past his head and hit the wall behind him, shattering into tiny pieces.

"What else did she tell you, Megumi-san?" asked Kaoru.

"Other than the fact that she was the only child in the family and her parents died many years ago, not much I'm afraid. She doesn't speak unless spoken to, and even then, she doesn't explain more than necessary."

"She's one weird girl, that's what I can tell you," said Sanosuke. "Her clothes are always white or light yellow in colour, even her gloves and the ribbon on her hair. It's bad enough that she looks so pale. Well, at least, her face looks pale. There is no way to tell if the rest of the skin on her body are also ghostly pale, since she's covered from head to toe, or rather, from neck to toe. Not an inch of her skin is ever exposed, not even her hands. It's as if she's trying to hide something."

"So what if she's trying to hide something? Everybody's entitled to a secret of their own. Right, Kenshin?" said Yahiko.

"Right," Kenshin replied.

"Besides, why do you want to know if the rest of the skin on her body looks pale or not? What exactly do you have in mind, Sanosuke?" Kaoru teased.

"Don't talk nonsense, Jo-chan."

"Oh, is that a blush I see on your face, Sanosuke?"

"I said don't talk nonsense!"

"Ooh… it is! Sanosuke's blushing!"

"I'm not! Stop talking nonsense!"

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are!"

"NO I'M NOT! ARGH! STOP TALKING NONSENSE!"

-

On the way to the temple…

"So, once we reach the temple, you'll tell Aoshi-sama that you have to check him one last time to make sure his injuries are properly healed, and I'll say that I've decided to come along and help. Hopefully, Aoshi-sama will not ask too many questions and let you tend to him, and then I'll…"

5 minutes had passed since they left the Shirobeko for the temple, and for 5 minutes, Misao had been true to her nature, chattering gaily non-stop. It didn't seem to bother her that she was practically talking to herself, as Yuki too had been true to her own nature and never uttered a word or gave any response to Misao. In fact, Misao was so caught up in her own chattering that she didn't realise that they were already approaching the temple gates.

"We're here," Yuki announced, loud enough for Misao to stop talking and look up.

"Oh yeah! Hahaha! Gomen, I didn't realise we've already arrived," said Misao, rubbing the back of her head and laughing embarrassedly.

Wordlessly, Yuki walked into the temple, leaving Misao behind. Instead of going after her, Misao just stood still and silently appraised the older girl.

She watched as Yuki stopped walking, turned around and looked at her. "Misao-chan, what's wrong?"

"Ah… nothing," said Misao. "Nothing really."

Yuki regarded her for a moment, causing Misao to break out in cold sweat.

"Come along then. Your Aoshi-sama is waiting," Yuki finally said, a small smile gracing her lips. Misao smiled back and ran up to Yuki, so that the two of them were walking alongside each other again.

_I wonder if Aoshi-sama will be angry with us for disturbing him, _she thought to herself._ Then again, he's never been angry with me before. Besides, Yuki-san is with me._

She stole a glance at the young woman beside her.

_I don't know why, but somehow, I don't think Aoshi-sama will be angry when he sees Yuki-san… _

Tbc...

-

So what do you think of the story so far? Should I continue? This is my first RK fic, so I guess there should be mistakes along the way. Do give me your opinions. Thanks for reading anyway. )


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Nani?"

"You're leaving?"

"But why?"

Yuki waited for the barrage of questions to die down, before speaking up. "Kenshin-kun's injuries are almost healed, so are Sano-kun's and Aoshi-kun's. There's no need for me to stay here any longer to make sure things are fine. Besides, Megumi-san is here. She can handle things better than I do."

"You're worried about your father's clinic, aren't you?" asked Kenshin.

"Well-"

"If that's the case, then I guess it won't be right for us to keep you here with us when there are other people who need your help," said Kaoru. "We'll miss you though, and we can't thank you enough for everything that you've done for us."

Yuki smiled a little at Kaoru's words. "Don't mention it. I'm a doctor. What I did was my responsibility."

"I hope you don't mind, but do you think you can stay here for tonight? You know, so that we can have a party to thank you and to say good bye," Kaoru continued.

"There really is no need for-"

"Yeah! We should have a party for Yuki-san," Misao cut in. "I'll go tell Omasu and Sae-san so that they could prepare everything. Oh, and I must go to the temple and tell Aoshi-sama too."

"Misao-chan, I really don't think-"

"We're going to have a party tonight? That's great! Food!" Yahiko exclaimed.

Soon, Sanosuke and the rest of the Oniwabanshuus joined in, and there was no way Yuki could refuse all of them put together, so in the end, she gave up and agreed.

-

That night…

"Yuki-san, thank you very much for everything," said Kaoru for the umpteenth time.

Yuki gave her a small smile, as she mentally added that to the number of thanks she had already received for the past hour. _I think I lost count…_

"Ne, Yuki-san, where is your clinic exactly?" asked Misao. "Tell us so that we can go pay you a visit sometime."

"Actually, there is no clinic," said Yuki.

"Huh?"

"No clinic? What do you mean?" Misao asked in surprise. "Didn't Shiro and Kuro get you from a clinic?"

"No. They bumped into me on the way to the clinic. When I found out that they were looking for a doctor, I volunteered to come here with them," Yuki explained.

"Oh," everybody chorused together.

"Wait a minute. If you don't have a clinic, how do you become a doctor?" asked Yahiko.

Yuki looked at him with her eyebrows raised. "You don't have to have a clinic to be a doctor, Yahiko-kun."

"I thought your father opened a clinic," said Megumi. "Isn't that what you told me?"

It was obvious that Yuki was reluctant to talk about it, but she answered anyway. "He did, but… it closed down not long after his death."

"Closed down? But why?" asked Misao. Apparently, she didn't notice Yuki's reluctance.

"I was too young to take over the clinic back then," Yuki answered. She was shifting uncomfortably in her seat, her hands clasping and unclasping around each other.

"But you can reopen it now, right? Why didn't you?" questioned Misao again, before anyone could stop her.

"Misao-chan, I-"

"Is it money problem, Yuki-san? We can always help you out with that you know."

"Misao-chan-"

"You don't have to worry anymore, Yuki-san, as long as we're around."

Suddenly, without warning, the look on Yuki's face turned cold and hard, and her eyes darkened so considerably that they looked like they were spurting out black fire. "I don't want to talk about this anymore, Misao-chan, if you don't mind," she said bluntly.

The atmosphere in the room changed immediately, as everyone was rendered speechless by Yuki's change of demeanour.

Then, as sudden as before, the cold look on Yuki's face disappeared and was replaced with the usual kindly-looking one. If anything, she also looked bewildered.

"Ah… ah, gomen nasai. I… I didn't mean to be rude or anything. I… I…" She got up from her seat and bowed down low in front of everyone. "Thank you very much for this party. I really appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. Unfortunately, I… I'm not feeling too well. I would like to go to bed now. I'm sorry."

It was Kenshin who found his voice first. "Of course, Yuki-dono. Go ahead, don't worry about us."

"Arigatou gozaimasu. Oyasumi nasai, minna-san." Yuki bowed again, before leaving the room without so much as a backward glance.

The silence which fell upon the room after Yuki's unexpected outburst stretched on for a while, before everyone got their voices back.

"What was that about?" Yahiko asked.

"It was as if she became an entirely different person," Sanosuke remarked.

Meanwhile, Kaoru approached Misao. "Misao-chan, are you alright?"

Misao remained speechless, but when she saw Aoshi getting to his feet, she sprang into action. "Aoshi-sama, where are you going?"

"It's getting late. I would like to get some rest. You should too, don't stay up until too late," he said.

"Ah, hai. I will, Aoshi-sama," Misao answered happily, glad that Aoshi was showing concern for her. Yuki's sudden outburst was completely pushed to the back of her mind.

-

Upstairs…

As Aoshi was passing by Yuki's room, he heard her voice coming from inside.

"I won't let you hurt them. They are all good people, especially Kenshin-kun."

There was silence, before her voice came up again. "Nobody is to blame for his death. That is a fact. You know that."

Another pause, and then, "I said I won't let you. Stop forcing me." Yuki's voice was getting more and more agitated by the second.

It was then that Aoshi rapped on the wooden panel of the sliding door, interrupting whatever that was going on in the room. It didn't take long before the door slid open and Yuki appeared in front of him.

"Aoshi-kun?"

"Can I come in, Yuki-san?"

"Yes. Of course. Please come in," said Yuki, sliding open the door wider and stepping aside for Aoshi to go in.

Once inside, Aoshi took a quick look around, before sitting down on the floor opposite Yuki, who had already seated herself.

"Is there anything you wanted to see me for, Aoshi-kun?" asked Yuki.

Aoshi regarded Yuki for a moment, before answering, "I came here to apologise to you on Misao's behalf. She didn't mean to pry into your life. I hope that you can forgive her."

Yuki smiled slightly at him. "It's ok. She didn't do anything wrong. Those were just normal questions anyone would've asked. I'm the one who should apologise. I have been very rude to everyone, especially Misao-chan. Gomen nasai," she said, bowing to Aoshi.

"You didn't do anything wrong either. You don't have to apologise."

"Well, it doesn't matter now, don't you think?"

Both of them fell silent.

"Is there anything else, Aoshi-kun?" asked Yuki, after a while.

"No. I'll leave you to your rest now." He got up, and Yuki inched towards the door, still in her seated position, sliding it open.

"I hope I didn't disturb anything just now," said Aoshi, stopping at the door. His eyes narrowed a little as they looked down at her.

Yuki just looked back up at him without a trace of expression, or at least, a distinguishable one, on her face. "No. Not at all. Oyasumi nasai," she said, bowing again.

Aoshi's eyes narrowed even further, but he stepped out anyway. When the door slid close behind him, he looked back for a moment at the closed door. _Something is wrong._

_-_

Later…

Aoshi was in his room meditating when he heard a scream. Knowing that everyone else were still downstairs eating and drinking, he immediately got to his feet and rushed out, heading towards Yuki's room.

Sliding open the door, he saw Yuki sitting up in bed (or to be more accurate, futon). Her forehead was linked with sweat beads, and she was breathing hard.

Aoshi stepped into the room and knelt down beside her. "Yuki-san, what happened? Are you alright?"

Still breathing heavily, Yuki nodded her head and said, "Yes. I'm fine. I'm fine. I just… I just had a bad dream, that's all."

Just then, Kenshin and the others arrived, and they crowded into the room.

"What's wrong, Yuki-dono? What happened?" asked Kenshin.

"You look so pale, Yuki-san," added Kaoru.

"I thought she always looked pale," Yahiko mumbled to no one particular, and earned himself a whack on the head by Kaoru.

"I'm fine. Really, I'm fine. It was just a bad dream."

"Are you sure?" asked Misao, sounding unconvinced.

Yuki nodded, but Aoshi and Kenshin noticed that her hands were shaking and were clasped tightly together.

"Yuki-dono-" Kenshin reached out to steady her hands, but Yuki pulled back before he could even touch her.

"Gomen nasai, but… but I think it's best that I leave now," she choked out, scrambling to her feet.

"Matte, Yuki-san! What do you mean it's best you leave now? It's the middle of the night!" Kaoru exclaimed.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine," said Yuki. She had already put on an outer coat on top of her yukata, and was starting to pack her belongings.

"Yuki-san, be reasonable! It's already the middle of the night. Why do you insist on leaving now?" asked Megumi.

When Yuki didn't answer her, Megumi tried to take her things away from her, but Yuki managed to keep them out of Megumi's reach. Not paying attention to their protests and questions, Yuki made her way out of the room, and was pulled back by Kenshin.

"Yuki-dono, if you really want to leave now, then let me accompany you. It's dangerous for a woman to walk alone in the middle of the night."

"Kenshin's right. At least let us send you back to wherever you're staying," said Kaoru.

Yuki shook her head. "No. There's no need for you to send me back. I'll be fine going back alone."

"What! Are you out of your mind, Yuki-san!" Sanosuke burst out.

"Yuki-dono, why-"

Yuki shook Kenshin off. "Just leave me alone!" she shouted, and ran down the corridor.

Kenshin effortlessly caught up with her and pulled her back again, but this time, Yuki swung a fist into his face, taking him by surprise and causing him to stumble back, giving her the chance to get away.

"Yuki-dono, please wait!"

Aoshi and Sanosuke quickly went after her, followed by Kenshin, who recovered from the punch in no time at all. However, by the time they got to the front door of the Shirobeko and onto the road outside, Yuki was nowhere to be seen.

"This is impossible! How could she have disappeared so quickly?" said Sanosuke in disbelief, looking up and down the road for any signs of Yuki.

At the same time, Aoshi's eyes caught something on the ground, and he crouched down to take a closer look.

"What is it, Aoshi?" asked Kenshin. He looked at what Aoshi had found.

From a normal point of view, it looked like nothing more than a hole in the road, but upon closer examination, the 'hole' had the shape of the front part of a sandal.

"It's a footprint," said Kenshin.

"Yes, it is," Aoshi agreed.

"But if it's a footprint, how come there isn't any more on the road? And how come the print only shows half of the sandal and not the whole thing?" asked Sanosuke.

Nobody answered his question, but Kenshin's eyebrows were furrowed, and he was deep in thought.

_Could it be…? No, it can't be. Yuki-dono can't possibly know how to do that… can she…?_

"Do what, Kenshin?"

Kenshin snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Sanosuke. "Huh?"

"You said that Yuki couldn't possibly do that. Do what?" Sanosuke repeated his question. Only then did Kenshin realise that he had voiced his thoughts out loud.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about something, but I don't think it makes sense, so let's just forget about it."

"Ok, but what do we do now? We don't know where she has gone to, she never told us anything about herself other than her name and her age and that her parents were dead."

Kenshin sighed. "I guess all we can do now is hope that she is safe and sound, and that she will reach wherever she is going in one piece."

By this time, Kaoru and the others had already joined them outside the Shirobeko.

"Will we ever see Yuki-san again, Kenshin?" asked Kaoru.

"It's all up to fate, Kaoru-dono," answered Kenshin. He turned his gaze down the road.

"It's all up to fate."

Tbc...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Mount Ueno. One of the few mountains situated northeast of Kyoto, besides Mount Hiei. Very few people would climb up this mountain, but even if they did, they wouldn't have noticed the western-style mansion perched right at the top of the mountain, hidden among the centuries-old trees which were growing on the slopes and all around the mountain top.

On the outside, you would think that the mansion had gone through hundreds of years. However, if you were to go inside, you would realise that despite its outward appearance, the mansion was very well-kept, especially the few more frequently-used rooms, like the western-style bedroom of the owner and the only occupant of the mansion.

At the moment, said owner was sitting in front of the dressing table in the room, combing her long, black hair. Her eyes never left the mirror, as if she was expecting to see something inside.

After a while, Yuki heaved a deep sigh and put the comb back on the table.

_Waiting for me? _

Upon hearing the voice, Yuki's head snapped up and looked at the mirror. She watched as her reflection in the mirror smirked at her.

"It's you," said Yuki tiredly.

_You sound unhappy to see me. Weren't you waiting to see me, my dear? _

"Well, you're mistaken. All this years, have I ever been happy to see you?"

_Come to think of it, no, but I was thinking that perhaps someday you would. After all, as the years go by, you become more and more lonely. I'm sure that there will come a day when you will appreciate my company. _

"If what you say is true, that as the years go by I become more and more lonely, it will be your doing."

_Oh? If you are referring to Himura Battousai and his friends, it wasn't me who left them. _

"If you didn't threaten to harm them, I wouldn't have needed to do what I did," said Yuki, her voice raising a little.

_Even if I did threaten to hurt them, you didn't have to leave them. He deserved to die. He killed the man that you love- no, he killed the man that _we_ loved. Or is it that you've never loved him at all? _

"Don't you dare judge my love for him! I loved him, more than you can ever imagine. In fact, I loved him more than you do."

_No you didn't. I loved him much, much more than you do. I was the one who wanted to avenge him, while you were the one who protected his killer!_

"I wasn't protecting Kenshin-kun! I was only doing what I thought was right. He would've understood. He would've wanted me to do what I thought was right," Yuki argued.

_Really? Then why does he appear every night in your dreams? Why is it that he keeps on asking you to avenge him? Why is it that when you refused, he didn't stop, but still kept on asking and asking? _

"That wasn't him. That was just an image of him you conjured up in my mind. You made this… this image appear in my dreams. It was all your doing!"

_Right… so now I can conjure up images. Everything is my fault. Well, you know what, it's actually yours. You were the cause of everything._

"No I'm not."

_If you had stood by him, he wouldn't have died. If you had told him what you knew about Battousai and his Hiten Mitsurugi techniques, he wouldn't have died. Even if you couldn't prevent him from dying, you could've helped ease his passing by taking revenge for him. But you didn't. You didn't do anything for him. Instead, you helped his enemies. You helped save his killer. _

"I… I was only trying to do the right thing. I was only trying to do the right thing!"

_No wonder he left you 5 years ago. He knew that you wouldn't help him and would instead help his enemies to destroy him. _

"No! No! He left because he wanted to protect me! Stop telling me all this lies!" Yuki screamed, her hands clutching at her head.

_Battousai didn't kill him. You did. You were the one who killed him. You were the real murderer!_

"Shut up!" Without a thought, Yuki smashed the mirror with her right fist, causing it to break into pieces and fall to the table and the floor. Small rivulets of blood started to trickle down her fingers from her bruised knuckles, but that didn't stop Yuki from burying her face in her hands and sink to the floor, sobbing hard.

"I didn't kill him… I didn't… I loved him… how could I have killed someone I loved… how… I loved him… I really did…"

Slowly, the sobs ceased, and she lifted her head from her hands. A small smile appeared on her face as she stretched out her right hand in front of her.

"Now look what you've done. You gave yourself a new scar," she said softly to herself. "Well, it doesn't matter I guess. After all, what's a few more scars to me, when every inch of my body is already covered with them."

Bringing the injured hand to her mouth, she licked off all the blood and savoured the metallic taste of it as if it was vintage red wine.

"You will have your revenge, my love. _She_ may not want to avenge you, but I do, and for now, I'm the one in control. I promise that I will kill Battousai with my own hands and avenge you properly."

She got up and walked towards the balcony of her room, where she stood and let the strong wind blow all around her, tousling her hair and the loose yukata she was wearing.

"It won't be long now. Yes… the time will soon come when Battousai will burn to death." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Just like how you were, my love. Just like how you were."

-

A few weeks later…

"What do you think of this, Kaoru-san? Do you think Aoshi-sama will like it?" Misao asked, holding up a can of tea leaves.

Beside her, Kaoru nodded her head and said, "I think he will."

"Alright! Then let's buy this. You should get one for Himura, Kaoru-san."

"I think I'll buy one, but not for Kenshin. It would be a great souvenir for Genzai-sensei," said Kaoru.

The two of them were in town, shopping for souvenirs for Kaoru to bring back to Tokyo. So far, they had bought a hairclip for Tsubame and a set of teacups for Tae.

"Ne, Kaoru-san, what about this one? Do you think that…" Misao trailed off when she saw someone amongst the crowd around them.

"What is it, Misao-chan?" asked Kaoru.

"It's Yuki-san!" Misao exclaimed.

"Eh? Yuki-san? Where?"

"There. She just walked past us a second ago. I'm sure it's her. Come on, Kaoru-san! Let's find her before she disappears again."

It had been more than a month since her sudden departure that night. Attempts to find her had been futile as no one in town knew of her whereabouts. Now, as they weaved through the throng of people on the road, they made sure that Yuki didn't vanish from their sight.

They followed her all the way across town and through the forest, before finally losing track of her at the foot of Mount Ueno.

"Where did she go?" asked Misao, as she looked around.

"Maybe she went up the mountain. How about we go and have a look?" Kaoru suggested.

They went up the mountain path, until they came to a stop at a dead end.

"Now what?" asked Misao, looking around the place.

They were standing on a rather wide rocky plain, with no further road ahead of them. To the right was a cliff, plunging down to more than a hundred feet below. To the left was a small forest of trees, some of which were growing on the slopes of the mountain itself.

"I think we lost her," said Kaoru, after a while. "It's getting late. We should head back to the Aoiya."

"But what about Yuki-san?"

"We don't know where she has gone to, Misao-chan. This is a dead end, and there's no other way anywhere, so I don't think she came this way. We must have missed her before we came up this mountain," Kaoru reasoned.

Misao gave a sigh of defeat. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Let's go then. I don't want Aoshi-sama to get worried either."

-

Later, at the Aoiya…

"Where is that girl? The sun has already set and she is still not back yet!" said Okina, a frown deeply etched on his wrinkle-covered face.

Kenshin glanced at the clock on the shelf. It was already 9, but Kaoru and Misao had yet to come back from their shopping trip.

"Do you think that something has happened to them?" Omasu asked worriedly.

"Let's not jump to conclusions just yet. Both Jo-chan and Misao know how to protect themselves. Maybe they just lost track of the time or something," said Sanosuke.

Just then, Yahiko burst into the room. "Kenshin, there's a letter for you!"

Kenshin quickly reached for the envelope and took out a piece of paper. His eyes widened as he scanned through the contents of the letter.

Sanosuke, who was standing behind him and reading the letter as well, exclaimed, "What the hell? Kaoru and Misao are kidnapped!"

"Nani!" Everybody rushed to Kenshin's side. "Who did it? What else is written in the letter?"

"I'm supposed to meet the person who did this at Mount Ueno tomorrow morning. There will be signs to guide me up the mountain. If I don't show up, both Kaoru-dono and Misao-dono will be killed."

"Wait a second. How do we know if this is not a trap? How do we know that this person has really kidnapped Kaoru and Misao?" asked Megumi.

"Who gave you this letter, Yahiko-kun?" questioned Okina.

"It was a little boy, no more than 6 or 7 years old. He said that someone had given the letter to him, along with a bag of sweets, and asked him to pass the letter to anyone from the Aoiya," Yahiko explained.

"That's it! Kuro, Shiro, Okon, Omasu! We're going to Mount Ueno right now!" Okina announced, but Kenshin stopped him before he could do anything further.

"Okina-dono, I know you're worried about Misao-dono, but we cannot act abruptly. Although we don't know for sure if this letter and its contents are for real, we will play it safe and go up the mountain tomorrow."

"But-"

"I'm worried about Kaoru-dono too, but if we do not act according to this person's demands, I'm afraid of what he will do to the two of them. The only thing we can do now is wait until tomorrow morning. When the time comes, we will all go up the mountain together," Kenshin continued.

"He's right," came a voice from the door.

"Aoshi-sama! Misao-chan has been-" Omasu began, but Aoshi cut her off.

"I know. I heard everything. I agree with Himura. We shall go up the mountain tomorrow morning."

"But can we really go together? The letter specifically asked Himura-san to go up the mountain. It didn't say anything about us," said Okon.

"True. The letter did say that Kenshin should go up the mountain, but it didn't mention anything about going alone or in a group," Sanosuke pointed out.

"Well, in that case, I suggest that everybody go and get some rest now, in preparation for tomorrow. We don't know what will happen, so we have to be in out best condition, just in case," said Okina.

Kenshin nodded his head in agreement. Folding up the letter and putting it in his pocket, he left the room and went back to his own, where he sat down on the floor and was soon lost in his own thoughts.

_Who could have done this? Could it be one of Shishio's men? But I thought all of them had been captured. Also, why now? Why not a month ago, or even 2 to 3 weeks ago, when my injuries weren't completely healed yet? _

He took out the letter and read it again to see if he could find anything that would give him a clue about the kidnapper's identity. When he couldn't, he put the letter aside and got up to stand beside the window, looking up at the moon which seemed to be shining more brightly than usual.

_Please wait for us, Kaoru-dono, Misao-dono. Tomorrow, we will go and get you back safely, from whoever who's responsible for all this._

Tbc...

Author's notes: Ok I don't really know where Mount Ueno is. I just used it in this story because I couldn't think of any other mountain names. So, please bear with me. Thanks for reading and reviewing, WhiteRabbit. Thanks to the others for reading. It would be nice if you could drop a review or two. That way, I can find out if I need to improve or not.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Alright. Here we are at the top of the Mount Ueno, it's early in the morning, and we're all prepared to face anything that comes our way. So where is that stupid kidnapper!" Sanosuke demanded.

"Be patient, Sano. He'll be here," said Kenshin, as he looked around the place. They had acted according to the instructions in the letter, and had followed the signs which had led them to where there were at the moment.

"Hey, Kenshin. It's unusual that there's a wide and flat plain like this on top of a mountain, don't you think?" asked Yahiko.

"Yes, but I don't think this is the very top of the mountain," Kenshin replied.

"No? But there's no way we could go any further, nor can we go right or left," Omasu pointed out. "Not unless we want to fall a hundred feet down or get lost in that thick forest."

"The only thing we can do now is wait," said Okina. "And hope that both Misao and Kaoru-chan is alright."

As he spoke, a huge gust of wind blew across the mountain, and a blue ribbon flew out from beyond the forest, coming into full view of everybody. Then, the wind died down, and the ribbon fell to the ground.

Picking it up, Kenshin realised that it was Kaoru's, but that wasn't the thing that was worrying him.

_Blood…_

"Yes, it's blood."

Kenshin looked up, as did everyone else. They were surprised to see someone standing at the edge of forest, materializing out of nowhere so quickly and silently without their noticing.

The person was dressed in western-style men clothes; white long-sleeved collared shirt, black tight-fitting pants, black calf-length boots and black gloves. A black cloak was fastened around the neck, the hood pulled up so that they couldn't see the face.

"Who are you? Where are Kaoru and Misao?" Yahiko demanded, his shinai held in front of him.

"They're still breathing, if that's what you want to know," came the reply. It was a female voice, no doubt about it, although it sounded rough around the edges.

Kenshin quickly noticed that there was something familiar with the voice. He wasn't the only one.

"Who are you?" asked Aoshi.

She reached up to lower the hood, but it wouldn't have made any difference if she didn't. They wouldn't be able to see her face anyway, since it was covered with a mask, leaving only the eyes and the lower part of the face exposed. Her hair was tied up into one long braid which hung down the back and touched the waist.

"I would advise you not to ask so many questions. After all, you wouldn't want the two girls to die from the loss of too much blood, would you? Judging from how soaked that ribbon was, you should know if I'm telling the truth," she said.

"Che! How do we know if it's really their blood? How do we know if it's not just pig's blood that you soaked the ribbon in?" challenged Sanosuke.

Even with the mask on, one could see that she had raised her eyebrow. "Well, if that's what you would like to think, I won't stop you. Stall for all you want. We'll see who's telling the truth when I return their corpses to you." There was a hint of amusement in her voice, which only served to fuel Sanosuke's anger more.

"Teme! Where did you hide them you bitch!"

She shook her head, still amused. "Tsk, tsk. You still want to waste time, Sagara Sanosuke? Are you sure you can afford to?"

At this, Kenshin stepped forward. "Please, let Kaoru-dono and Misao-dono go. They're not the ones you want. The one you want is me. They have nothing to do with whatever grudge you bear me."

The woman looked at Kenshin, all traces of amusement gone. "Yes. In the end, you're the one I'm truly after."

"Then will you let them go?"

"Ah, but if I let them go, then you will have no reason to fight me. No, Battousai. Until you have defeated me, I will not let them go, nor will I tell you where they are," she answered.

"But-"

"Do we have a deal?"

Left with no choice, Kenshin agreed. "Yes."

"Good." She took off her cloak and threw it aside, revealing the sword which was hanging from her belt.

"Before we fight, won't you tell me who or what you're fighting for? Why do you go to such lengths just to fight me?" asked Kenshin.

When she didn't answer his question, Kenshin asked again, "Won't you even tell me your name?"

Instead of replying, she said, "How about we let the fight do the talking?"

Suddenly, without warning, she disappeared from where she was standing, and all that could be seen were traces of her footsteps, which were appearing rapidly one after another on the ground.

Kenshin was taken aback by this. _Nani! _

Before he could react, he was hit from behind with a kick to the head, which sent him sprawling to the ground.

"Kenshin!" Sanosuke shouted to his friend. The rest were rendered speechless by the display of strength from the enemy.

"What was that?" Yahiko asked in amazement.

"That's…" Sanosuke didn't finish his sentence. _Could it be… could it be the-_

"Shukuchi."

Everybody turned their attention to Kenshin, who was getting up from the ground.

"That was the Shukuchi," said Kenshin.

"I see you haven't forgotten about that technique."

"You are one of Shishio's men, are you not?"

The question went unanswered, as she launched into the Shukuchi again. Being more prepared this time, Kenshin was able to avoid her the first time.

_She's not as good as Soujiro, but like him, I couldn't read her expressions as she is wearing a mask. Also, she emits an enormous amount of killing energy, while he doesn't emit any kind of energy whatsoever. _

He managed to avoid her the second time, and his mind raced to think of a way to counterattack.

_It didn't work with Soujiro, but it might work with her. Yes… _

"Hiten Mitsurugi Kuzu Ryuu Sen!"

As quick as lightning, all nine strikes of the technique were deployed towards the enemy.

"He got her!" Sanosuke shouted. _Yes! Even though she's using the Shukuchi, she's not half as good as the Soujiro guy. She won't be able to dodge them. _

However, much to his dismay, not only did she manage to dodge all nine strikes, she was also right behind Kenshin. Pulling out her sword, she slashed Kenshin across the back, catching the latter by surprise. Then, she jumped back and came to a stop, watching as Kenshin staggered from the injury she had given him.

"Kenshin!"

"Himura!"

Kenshin lifted a hand to tell the others to stay back. Then, he slowly turned around to face his opponent.

"It is a deadly mistake to think that I'm not as good as Sou-kun, Battousai."

"Why didn't you kill me? You could have easily done so just now," asked Kenshin, panting slightly.

"Oh, I'll kill you alright. You don't have to worry about that. However, I'm not going to let you die just like that. I made a promise that you'll burn to death, and I intend to keep that promise." She sheathed her sword, and went on, "I've made my move. Now it's your turn. Come."

"You bitch! You're actually enjoying the fight!" Sanosuke shouted angrily.

"Shouldn't I be? After all, I've been waiting for this moment for so long. It's only fair that I enjoy it to the fullest while I can, don't you think?"

"Why you-"

"Sano, I'm fine," Kenshin interrupted. "Don't worry. I won't lose." Having that said, he put himself in a battoujutsu stance.

She clapped her hands. "Well said, Battousai." She placed her right hand on the hilt of her sword. "Now come."

She watched as Kenshin became a blur in front of her, before disappearing completely. She wasn't able to see him clearly, but just enough to pull out her sword at the same time Kenshin pulled his.

Their swords strike together for the very first time in the fight, and in that instant, her sword burst into flames. The impact of the strike threw both of them backwards, and for a moment, they just stood and looked at each other.

Seeing the surprised look on Kenshin's face, she smirked. "You didn't think you'd see the Homura Dama again, did you Battousai?"

"Ho… Homura Dama? But… but you'd need the Mugen Jin…" Sanosuke exclaimed, trailing off at the end.

She lifted the sword. "This _is_ the Mugen Jin, if that's what you were wondering."

"Who the heck are you?" asked Sanosuke, bewildered. "You can use the Shukuchi, you can execute the Homura Dama. You can't just be one of Shishio's lackeys."

She smirked again, and answered, "If I was, this wouldn't have been the first time you saw me."

"Then who are you? Who are you to Shishio Makoto?" asked Aoshi, breaking his wall of silence.

There was a pause, before she spoke, "You really want to know? I'll tell you, but only after Battousai have defeated me."

She got into an offensive stance. "So what are you waiting for, Battousai?"

"Himura, are you alright?" asked Okina.

Kenshin nodded his head. "Yes. I'm fine." He turned to her and asked, "How did you find the Mugen Jin? It should have been buried at the bottom of Mount Hiei with Shishio."

She narrowed her eyes, and then in a blink of eye, disappeared from where she was standing. She reappeared on Kenshin's right, her sword raised high above him before bringing it down, but Kenshin managed to block it with his sakabatou.

Once more, the impact of the swords clashing together sent the two people flying backwards, but they quickly regained their footing and charged towards each other again. It lasted for a good couple of minutes, and everyone could see that Kenshin was slowly beginning to gain the upper hand.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu Do Ryuu Sen!"

Driving his sword into the ground, Kenshin sent a spray of earth towards his female opponent, who, despite the fact that she was beginning to slow down, still managed to jump up and avoided the attack, albeit narrowly.

Yahiko, unfortunately, wasn't that lucky.

"Yahiko!" Sanosuke shouted, when he saw that the younger boy was caught in the blow and was sent backwards towards the brink of the cliff.

Kenshin watched in horror as Yahiko lost his footing and fell off the cliff. He rushed forward to catch him, but someone got there first and immediately jumped down after Yahiko.

"Yahiko-kun!"

Tbc...


End file.
